Title: THE PROVING GROUND
Author: MICHAEL CONNELLY
ISBN: 9781398719071
Publisher: Orion Books
Pages: 384
Source: Private Copy
Mickey Haller – The Lincoln Lawyer – leaves criminal court behind for his first civil lawsuit. But to him, this is still a murder trial.
An AI company’s chatbot encouraged a sixteen-year-old boy to kill his ex-girlfriend. Can Haller prove the company knew the dangers of its own creation?
To do so, he turns to Jack McEvoy – a journalist who knows how powerful the coming wave will be – and together they soon uncover a whistleblower in hiding.
As the tech titans try to buy or bully their way out, the scale of their courtroom battle before them becomes clear. Because billions are at stake – along with countless lives – in an all or nothing case, which could change everything.
Official Summary
12 February 2026
Michael Connelly once again proves why Mickey Haller remains one of my favourite courtroom protagonists. The Proving Ground takes Haller out of his familiar criminal-law comfort zone and drops him into a civil case that feels just as tense and morally complex as any murder trial.
The premise is chillingly modern: an AI chatbot allegedly encourages a vulnerable teenager to commit an unthinkable act. Connelly handles this subject with restraint and intelligence, never turning it into a gimmick. Instead, he focuses on accountability, ethics, and the dangerous grey area where technology advances faster than responsibility. The question at the heart of the novel — who is to blame when an algorithm causes harm — is unsettling and very timely.
Mickey Haller is as sharp and dogged as ever, and I enjoyed seeing him navigate unfamiliar legal territory while still relying on his instinct for truth. The inclusion of journalist Jack McEvoy adds another strong layer to the story, blending investigative journalism with courtroom drama in a way that feels natural rather than forced.
The pacing is classic Connelly: steady, methodical, and absorbing. The courtroom scenes are compelling, and the power struggle between Haller and the tech giants creates genuine tension. While the case itself is fascinating, I did feel that some sections leaned more toward explanation than emotion, which slightly dulled the impact at times.
That said, The Proving Ground is a smart, thought-provoking legal thriller that raises important questions without sacrificing entertainment. It may not be my absolute favourite in the series, but it’s a strong, relevant addition that left me thinking long after the final page.
A solid four-star read for fans of Michael Connelly and anyone interested in the ethical dangers lurking behind modern technology.
Also By Michael Connelly
THE WRONG SIDE OF GOODBYE
Harry Bosch is California’s newest private investigator. He doesn’t advertise, he doesn’t have an office, and he’s picky about who he works for, but it doesn’t matter. His chops from thirty years with the LAPD speak for themselves.
Soon one of Southern California’s biggest moguls comes calling. The reclusive billionaire is nearing the end of his life and is haunted by one regret. When he was young, he had a relationship with a Mexican girl, his great love. But soon after becoming pregnant, she disappeared. Did she have the baby? And if so, what happened to it?
Desperate to know whether he has an heir, the dying magnate hires Bosch, the only person he can trust. With such a vast fortune at stake, Harry realizes that his mission could be risky not only for himself but for the one he’s seeking. But as he begins to uncover the haunting story–and finds uncanny links to his own past–he knows he cannot rest until he finds the truth.
At the same time, unable to leave cop work behind completely, he volunteers as an investigator for a tiny cash-strapped police department and finds himself tracking a serial rapist who is one of the most baffling and dangerous foes he has ever faced.
About the Author
Author bio from the author’s site
Michael Connelly was born in Philadelphia, PA, on July 21, 1956. He moved to Florida with his family when he was 12 years old. Michael decided to become a writer after discovering the books of Raymond Chandler while attending the University of Florida. Once he decided on this direction he chose a major in journalism and a minor in creative writing — a curriculum in which one of his teachers was novelist Harry Crews.
After graduating in 1980, Connelly worked at newspapers in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, primarily specializing in the crime beat. In Fort Lauderdale he wrote about police and crime during the height of the murder and violence wave that rolled over South Florida during the so-called cocaine wars. In 1986, he and two other reporters spent several months interviewing survivors of a major airline crash. They wrote a magazine story on the crash and the survivors which was later short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. The magazine story also moved Connelly into the upper levels of journalism, landing him a job as a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, one of the largest papers in the country, and bringing him to the city of which his literary hero, Chandler, had written.
Michael is the bestselling author of forty-two novels and one work of non-fiction. With over ninety million copies of his books sold worldwide and translated into forty-five foreign languages, he is one of the most successful writers working today. His very first novel, The Black Echo, won the prestigious Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best First Novel in 1992. In 2002, Clint Eastwood directed and starred in the movie adaptation of Connelly’s 1998 novel, Blood Work. In March 2011, the movie adaptation of his #1 bestselling novel, The Lincoln Lawyer, hit theaters worldwide starring Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller. His most recent New York Times bestsellers include The Waiting, Resurrection Walk, Desert Star, The Dark Hours, The Law Of Innocence, The Night Fire, and Dark Sacred Night. Michael’s crime fiction career was honored with the Diamond Dagger from the CWA in 2018, and the Outstanding Contribution To Crime Writing Award at the 2022 Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate, England, and the Grand Master title from the Mystery Writers of America in 2023.
I can never decide which of Michael Connelly’s characters is my favourite – Harry Bosch or Micky Haller? But I do know that reaching for a Michael Connelly book guarantees an awesome reading experience. Are you a fan? Until next time… Happy Reading!
